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A Peek at Paula Stewart
April 9 is the birthday of singer and actress Paula Stewart (Dorothy Paula Zürndorfer, b. 1929) Stewart is very much still with us — I’ve even had the pleasure of interacting with her online! I am...
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The Mystical Magic of Moll Pitcher
April 9, 1813 was the date upon which Moll Pitcher (Mary Diamond) transitioned from this Mortal Plane into the Great Beyond. In modern parlance, Moll can best be described as a celebrity psychic. She...
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The Great Gatsby Turns 100
Originally published 2013; spruced up and repurposed for the 100th anniversary of the book’s publishing, which occurred on April 10, 1925. I risked the fate of Myrtle Wilson this morning as I walked...
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On Nick LaRocca and The Original Dixieland Jazz Band
We choose the birthday of Dominic “Nick” LaRocca (1889-1961) for this tribute to the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (original rendered as the Original Dixieland Jass Band). This seminal quintet did not...
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A Very Vaudeville Kind of Day
And just what do I mean by a very vaudeville kind of day? Well it’s National Barber Shop Quartet Day, as well as the birthday of Nick LaRocca of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, not to mention the...
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Herbie Hancock and Hollywood
This will make an interesting companion piece to yesterday’s post, which concerned major players in the birthing of jazz. The music has no end, one hopes, but today’s post discusses a major figure of...
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Bill Maher Isn’t the Only One Who Has Gone Over to the Dark Side
This is the second time I’m felt the need to single out Bill Maher for conspicuous bad-acting. (The first was about five years ago). Now that he’s been to the White House to kiss the King’s ass, he’s...
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Claire Windsor: Of Weber and WAMPAS
Some attention paid today to Hollywood screen actress Claire Windsor (Clara Viola Cronk, 1892-1972). Windsor was a major star of the 1920s and early ’30s, encompassing the late silent and early talkie...
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Travalanche Named One of NYC’s Top 100 Blogs
A Trav’s Eye View of the Workplace Yeah, I said! Just got the word from Feedspot that Travalanche ranks #57 of all New York City based blogs and websites, which I call not too shabby given that the...
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160 Years Ago Today, Booth Shot Lincoln
I know this isn’t a very round anniversary, but ten years ago (at the 150th), Travalanche hadn’t much expanded beyond vaudeville and silent film comedy as far as subject matter was concerned. We have...
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